Undercover Love
by Key of Magic
Summary: Percy Jackson is a secret agent who works for the F.B.I. One day, his boss, General Corral, sends him out on a dangerous mission to find a criminal that wants to rob the richest man in town, Frederick Chase. Percy soon meets Mr. Chase's daughter, and she insists on helping him. The two embark on a remarkable journey and Percy discovers a shocking truth at the end...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Some people think that secret agents may never fall in love, especially with the richest and most beautiful girl in town.

Well, they're wrong. And I'm here to tell you my story.

My name is Percy Jackson, and I work for the F.B.I. here in New York. That may seem weird considering that I'm only sixteen, but my life is definitely weirder than most people's, and it only got weirder when I met the girl of my dreams.

Let's start at the beginning of the day, when I went to check out something that the F.B.I. had been suspecting for a little while in a dark alleyway right off Sixth Street. I heard voices as I approached the end, carrying my pistol in my hand. Yeah, I have a pistol. I guess that would be cool to most teenagers.

I soon saw that the voices belonged to two scraggly-looking men, and I ducked behind a trash bin to avoid being seen. Then I listened closely.

"We're going to be rich I tell you," said the first man, who had oily brown hair and a beard that matched his ripped-up trousers. The second man, more dangerous-looking, had tattoos and two earrings that caught the light reflecting from his shiny bald head. That didn't help him trying to hide.

"Ya sure the plan's going to work, Barnabield?" the man with the earrings replied.

"Of course, Ernie. You're going to take down the guards, remember?"

The man named Ernie grinned.

"Well, come on, we haven't got all day," Barnabield cackled. He started to walk toward me, who crouched deeper in the shadows, ready to meet the men when they approached.

The first man, Barnabield, reminded me of a crazy scientist trying to do something even more crazy, and Ernie reminded me of his willing (but very stupid) assistant. I believed I could take these two down, but I didn't have much time to think about it. In seconds, I had jumped in front of the men, startling them out of their wits.

"Aah!" Barnabield shrieked. Then he started to grin, narrowing his eyes. "It's just a kid, Ernie. And a pretty stupid one, I'll bet ya."

But Ernie wasn't listening. He glared at his partner. "I told you not to call me Ernie, remember? My name is Death Ray!"

"Well, this man sure doesn't seem to think so," I said, pointing my gun casually at Barnabield. I noticed the two men were staring at it, and I pretended to just realize that it was in my hand. "Oh, right. I have a gun. You better put your hands behind your head before I use it."

Barnabield laughed. "You think we're scared of you, boy? Death Ray here is twice as powerful as a gun, and he uses his bare hands!"

'Death Ray' inched closer like a hungry animal. He tried to make a grab for me, but I flipped out of reached, right onto his back.

Being in the F.B.I. allowed me to have some pretty useful skills. Ernie ran around, confused as to where I was, but I wrapped my legs around him and pointed my gun at his head.

"Now, put your hands behind your head," I demanded.

"Never!" Barnabield protested, though I could tell he was nervous. "I-I have weapons that you couldn't dream of, boy!"

"Oh, really?" I asked. "Show them to me."

Ernie started to shake, seeming to just notice that I was on his back. "Get off me, kid!"

Steam was practically coming out of Barnabield's ears. Growling, he made a move toward me, his hands outstretched, but at just that moment, my backup had arrived.

"Hold it right there!" said a furious man's voice. Barnabield froze.

"B-B-Barnabield?" Ernie croaked. "P-P-Police."

"Oh, stop stuttering, you old fool," Barnabield mumbled. But he, too, knew that it was already too late.

I climbed off Ernie's back to meet my boss, General Corral, who was already directing his agents to take away the two criminals. He turned to me, a smile playing on his lips. "You did well, Percy," he congratulated. "I didn't think you could pull this off."

"You shouldn't have doubted me, sir," I replied, grinning.

"So, is it as we suspected? Were they going to try and rob the bank?"

I nodded. "You bet. They had just finished their genius plan, of which Ernie - the man with the tattoos - would take down the guards…"

General Corral had to laugh. See, there were fun perks to being a secret agent; it wasn't guns and secrecy all the time. But little did I know that my life would soon take a startling turn.

"Come, Percy," General Corral said, leading me back toward the big black F.B.I. cars. "We shall celebrate while my agents question those two men."

And so, when we arrived back at our base, the struggling Banabield and Ernie were taken away while my boss led me to his office. He sat down in his high-backed chair and motioned for me to sit across from him.

"Donut?" he asked, pointing to a small brown box.

I nodded and took out a rainbow sprinkle, then sat back and said, "So… I wonder what other crimes there are going to be this week."

General Corral shrugged. "You know, attempts at robbing banks, stealing things…"

"The usual. But always _attempts_."

General Corral smiled. "You've got spunk, Percy. I'm glad I have an agent like you."

 _Yeah, well,_ I thought. _That wouldn't have happened if…_

I suddenly got reminded of the past. It always made me go kind of crazy, so I decided to excuse myself, shaking. "I… I think I'll get some rest," I told my boss. "See you in the morning."

General Corral frowned. "Is everything alright, Percy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

And so I stumbled up many stairs of which other agents were going up and down from, but they never really talked to me. I was just the teenager, the strange sixteen-year-old that started to work for New York's secret agent force one day.

I suppose I should tell you about my past.

I was once a normal kid, who lived with my mother in the Upper East Side. We didn't have much money, and lived in a simple apartment, but I didn't care. My mother always made me feel like I was special.

She worked at a sweet shop in Central Park Station and brought me blue candy home every day. It was because my favourite colour was blue, and it still is, because it reminds me of her. But one fateful night, when we were watching a movie and my mother went into the kitchen to get more popcorn, I heard a scream and… and found her dead.

I looked up only in time to see a black figure run away, so I knew that she had been murdered. But I never told anyone that, because I ran away, out onto the streets while the police searched my apartment. They didn't know what happened, or where poor little Percy Jackson went.

I had lived on the streets, as a homeless nobody, until the F.B.I. found me. General Corral, actually. "Are you lost, boy?" I remember him asking. I simply replied, "I don't have a home." And from that day on, he took me in. I didn't want to talk about my past, and thankfully, General Corral didn't ask about it. I took on a whole new identity as a secret agent, and a young one, of course.

And now here I was, stumbling into my bed. General Corral had given me a little room to sleep in, since I had nowhere else to go. I never expected my life to change so much. But I didn't know that it would soon change again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I still remembered what movie my mother and I had been watching before she died. It was _Hercules_ , all about the Greek gods and one hero that had to save everyone. Sometimes, I imagined myself as a demigod hero, then immediately discarded the idea because of how ridiculous it sounded.

But it reminded me of that night. That horrible night.

I didn't want to think about it any longer, so I got up out of bed and changed into my daily black secret agent clothes. Then I looked at myself in the mirror, at my messy black hair and sea-green eyes of which my mother said always reminded her of the ocean.

I headed out of my bedroom then downstairs, hoping to get some breakfast, but I noticed that everyone was in a sudden panic. I tried to get their attention but they ignored me, as always.

So I decided to go to General Corral's office, someone who always trusted and spoke to me. However, it was crowded with agents, all trying to ask the general questions at once, but he put up his hand for silence.

Then, pretty surprisingly, he called me forward and told everyone to return to their regular duties before further information was given. Grumbling, the agents dissipated, still giving me dirty looks.

"What's wrong, sir?" I asked my boss.

General Corral was grim. He told me to sit down across from him, in the same chair that I had sat in the night before, though now there was tension in the air.

"A crime has been committed," General Corral explained, "Or, at least, attempted. But the criminal is still on the loose."

I frowned. "What did he do?"

The general sighed. "He tried to rob Frederick Chase."

My first thought was, _Wow, that's stupid_ , considering that Frederick Chase was the richest man in town and was heavily guarded with… well, guards. He lived in a huge mansion at the edge of the city, owning lots and lots of property that was often branded on things. Anyone who tried to steal from him would most likely be dead meat… but General Corral said that this criminal had escaped.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"Police have already investigated the scene of the crime, and the inhabitants of the Chase household said that they only saw a flash of a large man." General Corral started rummaging around through yellow files in his desk drawer, before pulling out a photograph and placing it in front of me. "And we believe that he is Gabe Ugliano, an old criminal that we know."

"Gabe Ugliano?" I repeated, looking at the photograph. It showed a bald, rough-looking, and definitely _large_ man who was scowling at the camera. "What did he do?"

"He has been previously arrested for drunk driving, theft, and assault of which includes throwing beer bottles at people, but he is currently out of jail."

I raised my eyebrow. "And why is that?"

General Corral sighed. "We had to let him out when his time in jail was up. And that was only a couple of weeks ago. Not surprisingly, he's already up to no good."

I looked at General Corral. "So, he tried to rob Frederick Chase, but failed. Do you think he's stupid enough to try it again?"

"One thing we know about Mr. Ugliano is that we know he's -"

"Ugly?"

"Determined. Also, he has been accused of previous stealing, though nothing as major as money. We think that he's going to pull his next scheme tonight at the Chase Industries Grand Ball."

I tilted my head to the side. "The what?"

"It's a ball that Mr. Frederick Chase and his family are attending, held in honour of them. We believe that Gabe Ugliano is going to try to rob Mr. Chase right there, for the man is probably going to be less guarded, and without security vaults to store his money. Whether Mr. Ugliano will try and rob the rest of the Chase family's money, we're not sure.

"But, as for the present, I am assigning you, Percy, to this mission. Go to the Ball and find Mr. Gabe Ugliano, and when you do, call for backup so that we can capture him. Hopefully, this little scheme will then end quickly without anyone, especially Frederick Chase and his family, from getting hurt in the process."

I was a little stunned. General Corral wanted _me_ to find a man who had previously performed criminal act, and who tried to steal from the richest man in town? It must have shown on my face, because my boss smiled.

"Don't worry, Percy, I have trust in you. Though this is difficult to pull off, I believe that you are my best agent for the job."

"T-Thank you, General Corral. I won't let you down."

"Any questions?"

My mind was swirling with too many that I didn't get the chance to ask one. "No," I replied. "I should be good."

"Then you should be off to get ready. You've got a ball to attend."

* * *

This was probably the first time that I had put on a suit and got to go to a fancy party. Well, it wasn't like I was invited, but if anyone questioned me, I'd say, "Police matters."

I didn't think that anyone in the F.B.I. had much of a fashion sense, but luckily, General Corral had left me the clothes. After I changed, I looked at myself in the mirror once again - kind of marveling over how I looked.

It was especially different. I was usually covered up in black, lurking in the shadows while I was sneaking up on criminals or hiding from the other F.B.I. agents. No, I never really stood out, though now I got to have a good look at myself in a dark blue, ocean-coloured suit. I had to admit, it matched my eyes.

Though, I knew, that I wasn't supposed to stand out; this _was_ top-secret police matters. Well, I was still pretty excited that I had gotten picked for the job to catch an old criminal who wanted to rob the richest man in town. And I just hoped that I would succeed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Evening fell before I got into one of the big black F.B.I. cars with a driver who hated me a lot (yeah, it sucked, I couldn't drive yet). Her name was Clarisse and she was reckless, though I guessed General Corral kept her because she had crazy good fighting skills - I should warn you _not_ to cross her path from personal experience… let's not talk about that.

Clarisse seemed especially jealous today that I got picked for the mission, though my nerves were pretty mixed up - I was nervous, but also honoured, and those two didn't mix together.

It felt like forever to get to the ball, but finally we pulled up in front of a huge building with a banner in the front that read, CHASE INDUSTRIES GRAND BALL. Ladies in sparkling ball gowns and men in tuxedos filed into the building, all talking with a formal touch.

"Well, I guess this is my stop," I said to Clarisse, trying to open the car door, which, oddly, was locked.

"Get out, punk." Clarisse pressed the UNLOCK button and I tumbled out, but caught myself right before I hit the ground. I spun around to give my fellow agent a glare but she was already driving away, cackling.

 _Thanks, Clarisse,_ I thought sarcastically, now only feeling worse. But I knew that I had to focus and keep my eyes open, so I mixed in with the crowd and headed for the hall's entrance.

There were two men at the doors, dressed in red velvety clothes, and unfortunately, they were taking tickets from the guests before they entered. I should put guests in quotation marks, because technically, I wasn't one and didn't have any tickets.

This was a normal drill for me, however; slinking around buildings as a secret agent. The only thing I had to do now was find an entrance to the building.

I walked around, trying to avoid the eyes of party guests, but they were too wrapped up in their conversations and talking poshly to notice me.

"I say, dear, that is a divine tie you're wearing," said one woman with a dark gold dress and a beauty mole on her face.

"Why, thank you," replied the man that she had been talking to. "Elaborate dress you have there."

I didn't know these kinds of people even existed in New York, but decided not to dwell on it. Only the gargoyles glared at me as I snaked around the building, and I saw that one was a pegasus. I kind of wished I could be riding that winged horse right now, straight into the building… no, nevermind, that would be weird.

I found a door at the side of the building, some of it held together by metal scaffolding. It was dirty around there, with trash bins and old garbage, but perfect for a criminal. I tried to push that thought out of my head.

As I predicted, the door was locked, so I reached into my handy-dandy tool belt that every agent carried, full of useful supplies, and pulled out a piece of thin metal. I inserted it into the doorknob hole, turned, and listened for the click before the door creaked open.

I could hear music from inside and started down a hallway, which led past other doors that led into other rooms - the kitchens, bathrooms, and storage rooms.

The hallway ended at another door which I guessed led straight into the ballroom, and when I pushed it open, I was right. And, I had to admit, the scene was pretty intimidating.

A huge glass and gold chandelier hung from the ceiling, radiating light across the room and catching on the ladies' dresses. The wallpaper was floral and elegant, matching the sets of bouquets on every table that held cookies, cakes, and other sweets. The ballroom floor was newly polished and the _click-clack_ of dancers' high heels and boots could be heard from across the room.

I had never been to a ball before, not that I ever really wanted to go, but this was pretty amazing. Then I remembered my task; find the criminal.

Once again, nobody noticed me as I kept to the sides, walking in between the tables and behind pillars when I could. I didn't see anything strange; in fact, all seemed well, but I knew that the worst was always yet to come.

So, I decided to wait, going over my thoughts. I was still pretty worried, mostly that I wouldn't catch the criminal in time because he'd pull off some really sneaky scheme. Or maybe I just wouldn't find him at all; what if he disguised himself? That was what a smart criminal would do, although this one didn't seem so smart, considering he tried to rob Frederick Chase.

But was he actually doing something brave? I mean, doing something brave could also be stupid sometimes.

Either way, he was a criminal, and I had to find him. I just couldn't let General Corral down.

That's when someone walked up onto the dais that rose at the back of the room, which was just as decorated as everything else (if not, more so). He was a middle-aged man with blonde hair and twinkling brown eyes, who was wearing the fanciest tuxedo in the room. I guessed that this was Frederick Chase, the victim of the crime.

"Hello, everyone," he said into the microphone, and though I expected his voice to be deep with smugness, it was a little more humble. "I am glad that you could make it. As you know, this is a difficult time for my family and I, after what happened quite recently. For a time, we felt like we were living on edge, until tonight, where we are surrounded by many good folk."

I wished I could run up in front of him and yell, "But you're not safe! Gabe Ugliano is planning to attack you!" but that would be crazy along with ruining the man's happiness. He seemed so at peace tonight that I just couldn't break it… until he experienced what was going to happen.

The audience applauded before resuming to their dancing, drinking, or whatever they were doing, and I resumed to standing in a corner, my eyes flicking around for anything suspicious. And I stood there for a while, on edge, waiting.

 **So, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I never told you why I'm writing this - I just got the idea one day to take a classic Percabeth fanfic and mix it up, putting the characters in an entirely new life.** _ **Secret agents?**_ **I thought.** _ **That sounds fun**_ **, and here we are. Please review if you like it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It was hard to take all of the suspense, knowing that any moment a crazy criminal could jump out and attack Frederick Chase. But still, I stayed where I was, gritting my teeth as I listened to the ever-so-calm music that was playing, along with the even calmer dancers.

The big clock at the back of the room ticked, and I realized that I had no idea when the ball was over, nor how long I had been here. But there were definitely less people here than before.

As I walked around, still inspecting, something caught my eyes - a black figure, right before it disappeared behind a pillar. Quick and eager, I dashed toward it, pushing some people out of the way and trying not to trip over others. But when I reached the pillar and looked behind it, no one was there. Sighing, I turned around and found myself face to face with the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

She had curly blonde hair that was tied up in a loose bun, and wore a long, glittering blue dress covered in gemstones that trailed silk which swished around her ankles. She looked just like a princess, except for the angry death glare she was giving me.

"What are you _doing_?" she demanded, her voice just as cold as her face.

"Why do you need to know?" I shot back.

"Because I don't know who you are. You could be some sort of spy working for -" She stopped herself before finishing.

"Gabe Ugliano?" I decided to intercede, knowing who she was going to mention.

She raised her eyebrow. "Who?"

I sighed. "The guy who tried to rob Frederick Chase."

"His name is Gabe Ugliano? Who is he? And where did he get the guts to -"

"The police just figured this out," I continued, remembering that it wasn't technically official, "or so they believe. Wait, who are y _ou_?"

The girl blushed a deep red, which countered the previous look of anger on her face of which, thankfully, was now gone. "I'm Annabeth, Frederick Chase's -"

"Daughter?" I replied. No wonder she was so beautiful, with those sparkling… _Don't get distracted_ , I scolded myself.

"Yeah," she mumbled in reply.

I noticed something. "You seem ashamed of that. Why?"

"Well, it's just that everyone always expects so much regality of out of me, but I'm not like that."

"Is it because of that blonde stereotype?"

Annabeth shrugged. "And I'm not greedy or spoiled, either, as Frederick Chase's daughter is probably expected to be… Wait, why am I telling you this?" She gave me that glare again, with those interesting (and sparkling) gray eyes.

"Right, uh, I didn't tell you who I am, which is just a guy…" I stuttered in reply, though Annabeth didn't seem to buy it.

"How come you're -"

Just then, there was a shout of terror followed by many other screams and the sound of scrambling. Annabeth and I turned to both of our worst nightmares - well, I had been expecting it - a fat man dressed in a dark cloak was standing over Frederick Chase, a knife in his hand.

"Not so many guards to help you now, eh, Frederick?" the man hissed, making the party guests continue to back away, horror-stricken.

There were too limp bodies on the ground next to him. They were the guards, I saw, both stabbed in the stomachs. And it looked like Frederick Chase was next.

"I'm not scared of you," Mr. Chase shot back, though there was a slight waver in his voice. "And I'm not going to let you take my money, not because I'm greedy, but because I know that you aren't going to use it for good."

"Ha! _Good!_ Who actually uses their money for good?" the man shot back.

I knew that it was now time for me to intercede. Pulling out my gun and shoving Annabeth behind me, I stepped forward and the crowd cleared a path. When I was closer to the criminal, I shouted, "Put your weapons down and place your hands behind your head."

The man's back went rigid, though a smile peeked through his cloak when he turned toward me. "Is that a teenager's voice I hear? Wow, the standards have gotten really low, they're sending _teenagers_ after me."

 _You got a problem with teenagers?_ I wanted to shout back, but resisted and tightened my grip on my gun. "I said: put your hands behind your head. And oh, I'll shoot if you don't."

A slight growl came from the man's hood. "This isn't over, boy. You won't ever catch me." He shifted so that I could see his face, look into his dark eyes, and indeed, it was Gabe Ugliano, but no one else except me knew that. "And now I've got _two_ people to go after."

Then, he turned and pushed through the crowd, heading for the door. It was a clever trick; I knew I couldn't risk a shot at one of the party guests. So, beaten, I let him escape into the night.

* * *

The guests were still in a panic as I walked back toward Annabeth, who looked angry but also shocked. "Was that…" she began.

I nodded. "It's him."

"But you never told me that you worked for the police!" she yelled.

"Yeah, that's because I'm a secret F.B.I. agent," I replied in a quieter voice.

"But, people might have already figured that out…"

"Which is why I have to get out of here." I started toward a back exit, but Annabeth stopped me by grabbing my hand.

I glanced down at this, then looked up at her. "What?"

"I'm coming with you," she said in a voice so stern I thought the ground would shake.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen, because I'm a secret agent and you're a -" I didn't want to say _just a girl_ , because clearly Annabeth would rip off my head if I did, but she seemed to decipher it that way.

"I'm more than you think I am."

And so _she_ led me out of the ballroom and out into the cold night air. "Wait," I told her. "Your father -"

"Will be too surrounded by guards to get to me," Annabeth finished. "His men will keep him back. They're probably looking for me, too, but we're heading to my house, which is where they'll take my father."

"Not very safe, considering that was once the scene of the crime -"

"Well, we're not going to live on the streets from now on. And I bet this… Gabe Ugliano… won't attack the same place twice."

"I hope you're right," I answered as we started down the street toward the Chase house. I guessed we were following Annabeth's plan, because it seemed like a pretty good one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

New York really _was_ the city that never slept. Annabeth and I hailed a taxi at the next corner, telling the driver to take us to "Frederick Chase's mansion." The driver gave Annabeth an odd look, as if he was suspecting that she was actually Frederick Chase's daughter, but she turned away quickly and gazed out the window.

So did I, and lights flashed, horns honked, and people talked as we sped down the street. We passed the many billboards of Times Square, then Central Park, and so on through the big city. Eventually, fatigue washed over me, though it was hard for me to sleep with all the noise and colour. And I definitely wouldn't get another chance later tonight.

I decided to face the one thing that had been bubbling inside me since Gabe Ugliano attacked - _guilt_. I hadn't caught him like General Corral wanted me to. It had all just gone so fast, and I discovered one more thing tonight… Gabe Ugliano was stronger than I expected. I would just have to try and catch him again.

After what felt like forever, we pulled up through a huge property and in front of an even huger mansion. Suddenly, I was wide awake, staring at it in awe. Annabeth paid the taxi driver and we both got out, my mouth still hanging open.

The home had obviously been built a while ago, though it had gotten really freshened up. The stone steps that led up to the two main double doors were perfectly shiny against the moonlight, as were the large arched windows. The shingles on the roof were each covered in an intricate design, evidence of the olden days, but still sparkled as if they had just been built. The thing that caught my eye were the two huge lions flanking the entrance, looking proud as if they owned the house themselves.

Annabeth and I climbed up the steps to the double doors, where an owl-shaped knocker glared down at us. Annabeth lifted it then let it fall against the door.

A posh-looking man (not so different from the people at the party) opened the door. "Oh, Miss Chase," he said when he saw Annabeth. "Where is your father? And who are you -"

"That's my friend. Listen, Malcolm, we're going to get in and out of here, but I need you to tell my father that I'm asleep in my room."

"Lying, Miss Chase, is certainly not -"

"It's important," Annabeth replied. "Please."

Malcolm, who I guessed was her butler, sighed. "Anything for you, miss. Please take care of yourself and try not to get into trouble."

 _Yeah, like that's going to happen_ , I thought, knowing that whatever Annabeth was planning, it was dangerous. She smiled at her butler and grabbed my wrist, then led me inside.

Before I could get a good look at the interior, she pulled me up a huge spiral staircase covered in a thick velvet carpet until we reached the first floor. A hall led both ways, and we turned right, running until we reached a door at the end.

This door had an owl on it, like the one at the entrance, but much more detailed. Annabeth pushed the door open and dragged me inside.

This was obviously Annabeth's room. A bed was pushed up against one side, and though I expected a rich girl like her to have a princess canopy over it or something, it was actually quite simple. Next to it, there was a desk with a laptop and stacks of paper, along with a bookshelf in the far corner, overloaded with dusty reads. Next to the bookshelf was a walk-in closet that held clothes.

"Wait here," Annabeth said as she disappeared into the closet. My eyes darted around once more, and I decided to walk over to the laptop, flicking it open.

It revealed blueprints of very complicated architecture, which I saw matched the many stacks of paper on the desk. Maybe Annabeth wanted to be an architect.

Then I wandered over to the bookshelf, reading the many boring titles (though I was dyslexic, so I slacked off on most of them) until my eyes landed on a book of Greek mythology.

Hoping Annabeth wouldn't noticed, I slid it out and started to flip through the pages, sighing. I had a soft spot for this Greek stuff, probably because it reminded me of the last time I was with my mother. Maybe it had a special connection with Annabeth, too.

 _Poseidon, the god of water_ … I read with much difficulty. _Athena, the goddess of wisdom_ … I had only read that far until the closet's doorknob started to open, and I shoved the book back into its place before turning around.

Annabeth emerged wearing a sleek black shirt and pants, along with combat boots. I also noticed that she had little silver owl earrings, and I realized that she hadn't taken them off with her previous outfit.

"What's with the earrings?" I asked her.

She fingered them. "Oh… I, uh, just like owls."

I shrugged. "Cool. But what am I going to do about my outfit?"

She smirked. "I guess you'll just have to look fancy for the rest of the night."

"Yeah, about the rest of the night… you're not going to stay here?"

Annabeth gave me a hard look. "A criminal broke into my house, then attacked my father, because he wants our money. Of course I'm going to get him arrested, and that's exactly what you're trying to do, so I'm going with you."

"And you're not telling your father about it?"

"He wouldn't let me go. He'd say it was too dangerous."

"For obvious reasons. Are you sure you're up to it?"

Annabeth kept the hard look, but added a smile, making me resist the urge to step backward. "Oh, yeah. Like I said, I'm not who people expect me to be."

"O-kay." Just then, the cell phone on my belt rang. I picked it up to General Corral's voice, but luckily, he didn't sound angry or disappointed.

"Percy, the F.B.I. were informed that Gabe Ugliano got away," he said.

"Yeah, sorry," I mumbled back.

"It's alright, he was more armed than we expected, and you weren't prepared. What's important is if _you're_ okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"So are you fine with me extending your mission criteria? Catch Gabe Ugliano."

I smiled into the phone. "Yes, now I have some help."

"From who?"

"I'll tell you later. Do you know where the criminal is now?"

"No, but we believe that if we get more information about him, we might be able to locate him."

"Where do we get the information?"

"As I said before, Gabe Ugliano is known for many crimes. I believe he tried to steal car parts once from a repair shop. Go there and ask about him, get as much information as you can, then call me back when you have it."

"Okay. And I think I know which repair shop you're talking about… the one on fifth street…"

"Yes, that's the one. And call me if you need anything."

"Thank you, General. Bye." And I hung up the phone.

"Well," he said, turning to Annabeth, "Looks like we know where we're going next."

"What's the repair shop called?" Annabeth asked.

" _Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair."_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Once again, Annabeth and I hopped into a cab and sped down the road, all the way back to the middle of New York City. The lights weren't as flashy as in the nighttime, but it was still as noisy as ever. Every second block we heard a _honk!_ or _screech!_ from cars passing by.

We turned onto Fifth Street, rumbling down the road until we reached a garage with sparkling letters over it that read _Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair_ , and a metal dragon next to them as the mascot.

Annabeth paid the driver again (she had _loads_ of money) and we hopped out before entering the building.

Inside, it smelled of motor oil with a strange hint of tabasco sauce. Cars on raised metal platforms were around the room, and tables littered with tools were here and there. Just before I was about to call out for someone, a very pretty girl with long cinnamon-coloured locks and warm brown eyes came out of the back room.

"Hello," she said, smiling, making her look even prettier. "My name is Calypso. What can I help you with?"

I must have been staring, because Annabeth elbowed me in the ribs before she spoke. "We're not here as customers. We need to find out about an old criminal, Gabe Ugliano, who once tried to steal car parts from you."

Calypso's face darkened. "I'll get my boyfriend."

She disappeared out of the room again, then came back seconds later with an elfish-looking Latino boy, who had curly dark hair. "Hiya," he said. "You want to hear about Gabe Ugliano?"

"That's right," I replied. "We're looking for him, but we need information from you so that we can locate him properly."

"Cool," the boy said. "I'm Leo, by the way. And I guess you've already met my gorgeous girlfriend here?" He motioned to Calypso, who blushed a deep red.

Annabeth and I nodded.

"Then our story shall begin," Leo continued dramatically. Then he stopped. "Wait, are you guys police?"

"F.B.I.," I answered.

"And you're like, what, around my age -"

I sighed. "Long story."

"Just get on with yours," Annabeth grumbled to Leo.

"Okay. I was young when it happened, about eight years old. I was working in the shop, hammering something, when someone came in. I looked up to see a man in a dark cloak. I didn't like men in dark cloaks, so I was a little worried, but asked him what he wanted.

"He said he was just looking around, because we sell car parts and tools here, just so you know, it's not all repair -"

"Leo," Calypso urged.

"Yeah, so, he went up to one of the tables while I was hammering. He must have stuffed one of the car parts into his cloak, or something, but the next thing I knew he was running out of the shop looking much fatter than before. "Hey!" I had yelled, but he was getting away, until my… my mom caught him. He fought back but she had soon called the police, and he was taken away for theft."

I noticed that Leo had a distant look of sadness in his eyes after he had mentioned his mother. Then I wondered why _he_ was running a shop when he was only my age, but Annabeth asked about it before I could.

Leo sighed. "It used to be my mother's shop, but I continued it after she died. Then I met Calypso here" - he smiled at his girlfriend - "and she joined me. Ever since, we've called it _Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair_."

"If you don't mind my asking," I said, understanding what Leo must have felt, "How did your mother die?"

"In a fire," Leo answered. "The same night that Gabe Ugliano attacked our shop."

"Well, isn't that a coincidence," Annabeth said. "Do you think Gabe had something to do with the fire?"

Leo shrugged. "There's no proof. And when it happened, I wasn't really thinking about him, I was thinking about my mom…"

"Well, then that's a whole other case," I said, "but I'll talk to the general about it. Anyway, do you have any other information?"

Leo shook his head. "That was it. So, you guys must be looking for him because of what happened the other day, right?"

"Yeah, he tried to rob my -" Annabeth stopped herself, her eyes widening a little.

"Your what?" Calypso asked.

"My father," Annabeth decided to say. "Yeah, I don't really work for the F.B.I. -"

"You're Frederick Chase's daughter?" Leo asked, his eyes wide. "Dang, you must be rich -"

Annabeth huffed. "Is that really how everybody knows me?"

Leo smirked. "Guess so."

"Anyway, I guess we should go," I cut in before Annabeth got really angry. "Nice shop you have here, Leo -"

"Thanks. Come in anytime."

And so, after saying goodbye to Calypso too, Annabeth and I walked out of _Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair_. "Well, what do you think?" she asked as we walked down the street.

"I think that Gabe Ugliano is very stupid," I replied. "I mean, to steal a car part just like that..."

"In front of a child, too. I guess he thought that Leo wouldn't notice. Do you really think he killed Leo's mother?"

"I don't know, but if he did, he'd be in _big_ trouble." Just then, I noticed something shiny on the ground, and bent low to pick it up. I saw that it was an old and rusty lighter marked CENTRAL PARK GIFT SHOP.

I glanced around. It had been lying right outside the shop's door.

"Hey…" I said, showing it to Annabeth. "Do you think this had anything to do with the fire?"

Annabeth frowned. "It could be from Leo's shop."

"I don't think he uses lighters."

"Still, it could have come from anyone's pocket…"

"I think we should examine it," I decided. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Alright. But where?"

I grinned. "My home, of course. I need to call General Corral anyway. Oh, by the way, Annabeth, this is probably the only time you'll be allowed to enter secret F.B.I. headquarters…"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Come on."

 **By the way, Percy told Annabeth his name sometime in between chapters. I forgot to mention that. And YES! I put Leo and Calypso in the story! I hope you liked their little cameo. And please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It was both good and bad to be back home - it wasn't because I had captured Gabe Ugliano and all was well, but I was still in familiar ground and could get the resources I needed. Other agents glared at Annabeth and I as we walked through the dimly-lit halls, obviously knowing that I had sort of failed my mission.

But General Corral didn't think that, and that's what I was holding onto. "So, where are we going to examine the lighter?" Annabeth asked as we turned another corner.

"Well, there's a little examinate laboratory behind the hospital wing," I replied. "If anything, they can help us there."

Annabeth looked around. "It doesn't seem like anyone likes you here."

"Yeah, well…" I still hadn't told Annabeth the real reason why I was only sixteen and working for the F.B.I., but thankfully, she didn't pry. After all, she seemed pretty eager to do a job like this herself. I'd tell her sometime, when we weren't so busy with finding a dangerous criminal.

We reached a door at the end of the hall, with stretchers and wheelchairs parked outside of it. I pushed it open, admitting us into a room lined with hospital beds, tables with medical tools, and some people in white coats walking around.

There weren't any major injuries here, just the occasional agent with a broken leg or cuts and scars on their faces. But as General Corral always said, _What doesn't kill you makes you stronger_ , so it wasn't like any of these agents were extremely miserable.

We walked past the beds and through another door, into a room where more people in white coats stood bent over tables, looking at things in microscopes. I led Annabeth over to one person who I knew that I could always count on to help me with looking at a clue.

"Hey, Will," I said to a man with sunny blonde hair who was currently looking over some papers. He turned and smiled when he saw me.

"Hello, Percy," he said, then turned to Annabeth, a look of mind confusion on his face. "And who's this?"

"Annabeth," I replied, not wanting to include her last name, knowing that she didn't like it. "She's helping me with a case."

"Oh, the one about Gabe Ugliano, isn't that right?" Will asked. "Shame he got away. But did you find anything else?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "This." She held out the lighter and explained where we had found it.

"It might have something to do with Gabe Ugliano," I finished.

"Ah," Will said, taking the lighter and looking it over. "I'll see if we can find any clues."

We followed him over to a table with a microscope and watch him put the lighter under it. He turned the knobs on the sides of the machine, getting the lighter into focus, then stared for a while. Annabeth and I shifted, wondering what he saw, until he beckoned us over and murmured, "Look at this."

I took the microscope first and peered into the little hole, looking closely. That's when I saw it.

On the end of the lighter, in little black letters, it read the name of the criminal we were looking for. I moved over to let Annabeth take a look, and when she did, she gasped softly. Then she pulled the lighter out from under the microscope and looked it over again.

"You can still see the letters," she said. "They're not microscopic."

"We just didn't look hard enough," I agreed. "But we were right - this _did_ belong to Gabe Ugliano, and it probably had something to do with the fire."

"What fire?" Will asked.

I shook my head. "I'll tell you later. Right now, we need to get to General Corral. Thanks for helping us, Will."

He nodded. "My pleasure. I hope you find who you're looking for."

And so, in a rush, Annabeth and I left the examination laboratory, past the hospital wing, and down many halls and corridors all the way to General Corral's office. "I can't believe this," Annabeth said. "How is it possible we found a lighter that Gabe Ugliano must have dropped, what, seven years ago?"

"Well, it's because nobody suspected Gabe Ugliano to have anything to do with the fire," I replied. "Only we did. And now we have proof."

We opened the door to the general's office, and found him sitting at his usual desk, typing something on his computer. He looked up when he saw us. "Percy," he whispered, then turned to Annabeth.

"This is the person I was talking about," I told him. "Her name is Annabeth."

"Would it be Annabeth Chase, by any chance?" General Corral asked.

Annabeth looked surprised. "How did you know?"

"It's hard to conceal your identity from the F.B.I. general," he replied, smiling. "Sit down, both of you. Did you find anything?"

But I was too worked up to sit down. "Yes," I replied, running up to General Corral with the lighter in my hand. "This lighter, sir. We found it outside of _Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair_." And I told him the whole story.

General Corral seemed serious but not at all surprised when we finished, and he motioned for Annabeth and I to sit down again. This time, we did. "I knew that man had committed more than he had let on to. So, when we find him again, he shall be charged for murder. And do you know where to find him?"

Annabeth spoke up. "The lighter says Central Park Gift Shop, sir. Maybe Gabe Ugliano lives around that area."

"But the lighter's obviously old," I said, turning it over in my hands, "So he must have purchased it around the time he killed Leo's mother. And before he got arrested, he must have lived in a regular house, but now, when he's on the run, I doubt it. He must be hiding somewhere."

"And do you think it's in Central Park?" General Corral asked.

"Well, I don't think he can really _hide_ in Central Park," Annabeth said. "It would be easier for him to hide in somewhere like… Grand Central Station."

"That's true, Miss Chase," General Corral agreed. "And the only way to find out is to go there. Are you two up for the job?"

I turned to Annabeth. She nodded.

"Good luck, then. Remember, you can call me at anytime. But first, you'll definitely need some things."

I knew what _things_ meant. We needed weapons.

* * *

General Corral led us through a couple more halls and corridors before we reached the familiar room where all the weapons were kept. I usually came here to restock my belt before I went on a mission, which was happening right now.

Annabeth stared around in awe at the many pistols lining the walls, knives hanging around, and larger guns standing on tables. General Corral walked up to one wall and pulled down a leather belt, just like mine, before handing it to Annabeth.

"Use this," he said. "Percy has one, too, as do all the other F.B.I. agents. Let's see… you'll need a gun, and…"

General Corral helped Annabeth fill her belt with extremely dangerous (and useful) tools. I had to admit, it fit her perfectly - even in the little time I had spent with her, I knew that Annabeth was tough, and wearing the belt made her look like a strong and beautiful serial killer.

"Thank you, General," she said after she had wrapped the belt around her waist. "Not just for this - for letting me help Percy on his mission. It's just that, Gabe Ugliano, he…"

"I understand," General Corral replied kindly. "He's caused you enough trouble with your family, and you just want to stop him."

"But I'm not a certified F.B.I. agent," Annabeth said, sort of sadly. "In fact, I'm not even old enough -"

"Neither is Percy," General Corral told her. "Did he tell you his story?"

I fidgeted uncomfortably. "No."

"Well then, you have a lot to converse about," General Corral continued, "Er, after the mission."

Annabeth nodded, and she and I left the room after saying goodbye to the F.B.I. general, walked down some more corridors and stepped outside.

"Well," I said. "You ready?"

Annabeth managed a faint smile. "Lead the way."

 **Yay! They met Will Solace! As always, thank you for your reviews, and I tried to post faster today, SonOfPoseidon. I hope you enjoyed!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

We sped down the streets of New York, this time in an F.B.I. truck, luckily not being driven by Clarisse, but another guy named Jake Mason. He was quite muscular and seemed to like to build things.

Annabeth and I sat in the back of the truck, ready to jump out when we stopped. We were silent for a while, listening to the rattle of the wheels, until Annabeth spoke up, "I hope we find Gabe Ugliano."

"Me, too," I replied. "I mean, we're not even sure if he's in Grand Central Station…"

"It makes sense," Annabeth assured. Something inside me said to trust her, because when something made sense to Annabeth, it usually did.

"Hey," I said, a little awkwardly, "I never told you about why I'm only sixteen and working at the F.B.I."

"Oh," Annabeth mumbled. "It seemed personal, so I didn't want to ask…"

"No, it's okay," I told her. Then I began. "When I was twelve, my mother passed away. After that, I had nowhere to live, so General Corral sort of took me in. I worked at the F.B.I. ever since."

Annabeth's eyes were sunken. "Oh, Percy," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," I murmured. "Leo lost his mother, too."

"That still doesn't make it right," Annabeth replied. "And she was _murdered_. Your mother was…"

I never told this to anyone, not even General Corral. "She was murdered, too. I saw a glimpse of a man in a black cloak."

Annabeth stared at me. "Gabe Ugliano has a black cloak."

I had never thought of that. It just seemed so… strange, and it didn't really make sense. "Why would he kill my mother?" I asked. "What would he want from her? He killed Leo's mother because he wanted to steal something from her shop. My mother and I… we didn't have anything."

"I guess," Annabeth replied, turning away to stare at the ground. "So… does General Corral know about all of this?"

I shook my head. "He doesn't know that my mother was murdered. In fact, no one does."

"The police…?"

"They just found her dead. There were no witnesses to tell them what really happened after I left."

Annabeth looked at me again. "Why didn't you tell them?"

"Because they probably wouldn't believe me. _I'm_ not even sure if I believe me. I might have just been seeing things…" I really didn't want to talk about this; that's why I was shrugging it off. But I knew, deep down inside, that what I saw that night was not my imagination. My mother _had_ been murdered. From who, I had yet to find out.

Just then, the truck stopped and the doors swung open, revealing the steep stairs down into Central Park Station. Annabeth and I hopped out, thanking Jake Mason before we started underground.

I had been down here before, and I betted that Annabeth had, too, because my mother used to work here at the candy shop. Maybe we could stop by there after this was all over, grab some blue candy…

As always, the station was packed with people getting on and off the train, carrying luggage, and talking on cell phones. Gabe Ugliano probably could blend in with the crowd if he wanted to, but at least we knew what he looked like - a black cloak over his ugly bald head. Hopefully, though, he was hiding somewhere else, somewhere he didn't think the F.B.I. would go, because he'd never think we'd suspect this place, that we'd ever find the lighter he must have dropped years ago.

"So, where should we start looking?" Annabeth asked.

"Along the walls for any secret doors," I answered.

And so, that's what we did, inspecting carefully while trying not to get noticed by the crowd. Of course, if we did, I could always show my F.B.I. badge, but since I was only a teenager, it didn't always work. So we had to be extra careful.

There were air vents and pipe holes, but I didn't think Gabe Ugliano could fit his fat body into any of them. I was glad for that. Climbing through a pipe sounded pretty disgusting.

We continued on searching the walls until we reached the train tracks themselves. People were currently boarding on, because the train had just stopped. It was easier to look around right then, since everyone was bunching together to get on the train, leaving the rest of the hall an open space.

Annabeth and I looked around again, but there was still no sign of anything. I was beginning to think that we were wrong about where Gabe Ugliano's hideout would be, that we were going too fast for ourselves, too eager to catch this awful criminal. But just then, something crunched under my feet.

I looked down and saw that they were used cigarettes, all cracked and dirty. I looked around and saw that there were more up ahead. Annabeth spotted them, too, and started to follow them, a look of pure determination on her face.

Trusting Annabeth's judgement, I jogged after her. The trail wove here and there, and there were only a few cigarettes, with wide ranges in between them. It could have been anybody's used cigarettes thrown to the ground, but after we found that lighter, I was beginning to believe that anything could be a clue.

Up ahead, Annabeth stopped suddenly, right in front of a wall. There were a pile of cigarettes at her feet, similar to the ones I had stepped on earlier. On the wall, there was a cluster of pipes, and I remembered myself skimming over them on our search. But now, it seemed, Annabeth wasn't look _at_ them, but _through_ them.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"I think it's an entrance to something," she replied. "There's a door behind there."

"How can you be sure? I checked here earlier and -"

"Maybe you didn't look hard enough. Come on." Annabeth placed her hands on the pipes and started to push.

I knew that I couldn't just stand there, so I helped Annabeth push. Water trickled in between my fingers. It was pretty gross, but to my surprise, it payed off - the pipes soon moved to reveal a door.

"Wow," I said. "How did we do that?"

"Someone moved these pipes before and put them back to hide the door," Annabeth explained. "And I think I know who."

So did I, and was glad that we were finally getting closer. I placed my hand on the doorknob. Of course, it was locked, but an F.B.I. agent was always prepared - I took out the piece of metal that I had used to break the lock at the Grand Ball (man, that felt like so long ago) and inserted it into the little hole on the knob.

I turned, listened for the click, and the door opened. This was the moment of truth. Annabeth and I stepped inside.

 **Hi! Apologies if I described Grand Central Station wrong (I've only been to New York once, when I was really little). But I did my best. As always, please read and review! - Key**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The door opened into a tight chamber aligned with more pipes. The air was damp and cold, probably because of the continuous water dripping down from the ceiling. We could hear the rumbling of the train as it took off, and the footsteps of the people walking outside the concealed chamber. They had no idea that we were in here, or what else was in here. And neither did we.

Annabeth and I walked side by side, our eyes peeled open for anything suspicious. The occasional rat scurried in between the pipes, or a bug scuttled down the walls. When a spider came close to Annabeth she shrieked and grabbed my hand.

"What is it?" I asked her. Then I looked at the spider. "Oh, you're afraid…"

"Don't judge me," Annabeth panted, shaking her hand out of mine.

"I'm not," I replied. "It's okay."

She was blushing furiously as we continued on, the chamber seeming to get dimmer and dimmer as we did. I realized this was because most of the tiny lightbulbs on the ceiling were broken, providing even less light than they already had.

"Where do you think Gabe Ugliano is?" I wondered aloud, still quietly, fearing that he might hear us if he was somewhere close by.

The tension was extreme, because Annabeth and I both knew that at any moment we could find a secret door or something that led to the man we had been looking for. I just wanted this to _end_. We were so close…

And then, suddenly, all the lights went out. I jumped, and Annabeth shrieked, "Percy? Percy, what -"

"Oh, he can't help you," said a cold and eerie voice. I recognized it right away, but before I could say anything a beefy hand clasped over my mouth and dragged me into something even bigger. The smell of cigarette smoke and beer encased me, and I once again confirmed who we were dealing with. It was Gabe Ugliano.

"Let him go!" Annabeth yelled, but she was too late; the criminal whacked me on the head with something hard and I fell to the floor, moaning. I looked up in a daze to see poor Annabeth trying to tackle the man, but she, too, soon fell in a heap at our kidnapper's feet.

* * *

I woke up on the floor again, but it was much colder and the air smelled mustier. My joints still felt stiff and sluggish, and when I tried to move, I felt my hands tied behind my back and my ankles bound together.

Still, I managed to sit up, looking around the dark chamber. I couldn't see a thing, so I tried to listen for something - I heard a faint breathing coming from the other end of the room.

"Hello?" I croaked, my voice sounding like I had just tried to swallow a frog. "Is anyone there?"

"P-Percy?" a familiar voice replied, sounding just as tired. "Are you there?"

I had never been happier to hear Annabeth's voice. "Yeah, Annabeth, I am. Are you okay?"

"Well, other than being tied together, I think so… What about you?"

"I'm fine. Where are we? The last thing I remember was…"

"Getting hit on the head?"

"Yeah." Then I decided something. "Wait there, Annabeth, I'm going to find you."

And so I did, foraging through the darkness for any sign of warmth. Finally, I found it, and tried to hold onto Annabeth as best as I could. I could almost feel her smiling slightly in the dark. "At least we're not alone," I told her.

I should have known this moment would end, because soon another, unfortunately familiar voice growled, "It's not just the two of you."

A candle flicked on, showing our captor, Gabe Ugliano. Without his cloak, he was even uglier - the light caught his shiny bald head (which wasn't completely bald, actually, I could now see a few hairs) and his scrunched-up, scowling face. He wore a greasy gray shirt that barely covered his bulging beer belly, and disheveled brown pants. Overall, it was the look of a nasty criminal… and a nasty murderer.

"Well, it looks like you failed again, didn't you, kid?" Gabe Ugliano sneered at me. " _Some_ F.B.I. agent."

"And you're _some_ criminal, catching two teenagers," I shot back. "Is that how low you've stooped? Can't even rob an adult, let alone capture him, so you have to take it out on his daughter?"

"Yeah," Annabeth caught on, giving me an appreciative look. "You have to admit, we were pretty close to finding you, closer than you were to robbing my father. What do you even want from us?"

"From you, it's obvious, I want _money_ ," Gabe Ugliano replied.

"Well, I don't carry money around in my pocket, I'm not that stupid."

Gabe Ugliano bent down so that he was level with Annabeth's face. "You think you're so smart, girl," he whispered coldly, "But you don't realize that I can play you to my advantage. You've got weak spots, and I'm going to use them."

Annabeth glared back at him, as confident as she could muster, her gray eyes flickering with anger. " _Try me."_

"And you," Gabe Ugliano growled, turning to me and obviously fuming with hate, "I'm so _sick_ of you."

"Because you can't get rid of me?"

"Oh, are you trying to sass me, kid?"

I managed a faint smile. "That's right."

"You'll be sorry." He leaned closer to me, just like he did with Annabeth, and I got a waft of alcohol-smelling breath. "What even is your name, kid?"

I didn't see the danger in telling him. "Percy. Percy Jackson."

Gabe Ugliano grinned the ugliest grin I had ever seen.

"Just as I had thought," he murmured. "Yes, you're him, and now I have even more reason to hate you."

"What?" I asked, wondering what else I could have possibly done, "What did I do?"

"Oh, you haven't figured it out yet?" Gabe Ugliano cackled. "Well, let me tell you: _I killed your mother_."

That was it. I couldn't even move. Annabeth stared at our captor in horror, then back at me, a tear glistening in her eye. For one second, I was emotional, because I felt like I just wanted to break down and cry, but the next, I was angry. _Really_ angry.

"IT WAS YOU!" I yelled. " _You_ ruined my life! If it wasn't for you, you disgusting old thing, I wouldn't have had the job of capturing you! I never would have joined the F.B.I., and -"

"You never would have met your pretty girl," Gabe Ugliano interrupted.

I glanced at Annabeth. She was completely tear-soaked. Right then, I felt the urge to hug her, to tell her that everything was going to be all right, but this was about _me_. And I knew that everything was _not_ going to be alright, if we were stuck here…

That's when I realized it. Annabeth had become something more to me; not just a friend. We hadn't known each other for long, but we had already been through so much together, and now I realized how much I really cared for her. She was the closest person that I knew next to my mother, and my mother was gone, killed by this selfish criminal…

I glared daggers at him. "You don't have the right to speak her name, or my mother's. You just -"

"Unfortunately, punk, you can't tell me what to do. You belong to _me_ now, and there's nothing you can do about it." Gabe Ugliano rubbed his hands together. "Lucky for me, I have some things planned. Oh, this is going to be fun."

 **Yeah, so, I knew some of you were predicting that Gabe Ugliano killed Percy's mother, and he did! Also, I added the 'Persassy' moment in there just for fun ;) - Key**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 _Fun_ was not really how I would describe the situation. Annabeth and I found out that we were being held in a room that was part of Gabe Ugliano's hideout. So, we had been correct; he _was_ currently in the depths of Grand Central Station. But, unfortunately, Annabeth and I had found this out the hard way.

He left the room soon after our little talk, saying that he needed to get some things, all with an evil grin on his face. What he got out of keeping two teenagers tied up and locked in a room, I still didn't understand.

But I knew he hated us, especially me. What else I didn't know was _why_ he killed my mother, but was too upset to think about it at the moment. I leaned against the wall, trying to hide the tears streaming down my face, while Annabeth watched me, clear pain in her eyes.

"D-Don't worry, Percy," she assured, holding back a sob herself, "We'll find a way out of here, no matter what it takes."

I should have been comforting _her_ , but right then, some of the anger had drained out of me and was replaced by grief. The loss of my mother came back to me all over again, and this time, it was even harder to bear, knowing that her killer was keeping me captive.

 _But at least_ , that little spark of hope told me, _you're not alone_.

And Annabeth seemed to be trying to make this clear. She inched closer to me, not saying anything, but her presence did warm me, at least enough to let me speak.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth," I murmured. "I dragged you into this. If you hadn't found me at the ball, you would have never -"

"I would have come after Gabe Ugliano myself," Annabeth replied, "and might have gotten hurt."

The tiniest smile played on my lips. "Knowing you, I don't think so."

She chuckled, and truly, it was nice to hear. Maybe… maybe everything would be alright… Annabeth and I had come this far, after all, and surely we could escape some stupid criminal. When I thought of him again, anger bubbled inside me, which I knew I could use to my advantage. Yeah, he _was_ stupid…

That's when he came in, grinning wickedly. "Well, well, well," he hissed. "Looks like you two lovebirds and trying to make yourselves feel better. It's not going to work, you little brats."

"And what makes you think that?" Annabeth shot at him, her eyes narrowed.

He gave a sinister chuckle and raised his hand. I saw that there was something shiny in it, and when it caught the light, I saw that it was… my insides dropped.

He was holding a knife.

Annabeth managed to keep her brave face. "What are you going to do with that?"

" _What do you think_ , smart girl? Cut someone! Oh, and not just someone. Your boyfriend." Gabe Ugliano aimed the knife at me.

Well, at least he wasn't going to hurt Annabeth… but he _was_ going to hurt me… I had never gotten seriously hurt by a criminal before, maybe scratched once or twice, but that was it. Sure, they had been holding weapons, but so had I. Right then, my hands were tied behind my back, and - I had discovered not long ago - my tool belt was gone, as was Annabeth's.

"No," Annabeth whispered. "You can't… he doesn't deserve to -"

"Shut up, girl." He picked her up, though she put up quite a fight, and tied her to the far wall, so that she couldn't move very much, let alone help me.

Gabe Ugliano came up to me, his disgusting yellow teeth showing as he smiled, waving his knife around in his hand. I glared back up at him, anger still welling up inside of me, trying not to think of what was to come and putting on a brave face.

"Go ahead," I told him. "Hurt me. That's what you did to my mother, wasn't it? In fact, you _killed_ her."

"That's right, I did," Gabe Ugliano replied, and cut me on the arm. It stung, but not that bad; I could take it. I wasn't finished talking, either.

"Why?" I wanted to know. "Why did you kill her? What did she ever do to you?"

"So you want me to tell you the story," Gabe Ugliano growled, cutting me on the other arm. Blood trickled down it. "Fine, then. Your mother and I knew each other not so long ago; when she first started working at the candy shop. I thought she was beautiful, and immediately fell in love…"

I scrunched up my face with disgust. "Did you really think that you'd ever have a chance, you ugly old -"

"Be quiet!" Gabe Ugliano snapped, slashing his knife across my leg, but I was too intent on listening to notice the pain. " _That_ was the problem. Though your mother was always nice to me, when I went to visit the candy shop just so I could see her, my feelings eventually went to far and I proposed to her."

I couldn't believe it. This awful man could have been my _stepdad_? In what weird world could that have happened…?

"But," Gabe Ugliano continued gruffly, "she refused."

"Well, obviously," I grumbled.

My captor let out an angry yell of rage and cut me again. This time, it was deeper, and I grit my teeth from the pain. "So I got angry! And I started my career as a _criminal_."

"You started stealing things and drunk driving," Annabeth murmured from the corner of the room. "You killed Leo's mother."

"Oh, right, that Esperanza Valdez," Gabe Ugliano grumbled. "What a _nut_."

"You're the nut! You took a parent away from an innocent child -"

Our kidnapper waved the bloody knife in her face. "You want to get hurt?"

"Don't touch her," I growled, my voice icy cold.

Thankfully, Gabe Ugliano ignored her and turned back to me. "And eventually -"

"You killed my mother," I finished.

"Yes!" And Gabe cut me _again_. My body sizzled with pain; it was really starting to hurt now. But now I knew; I knew who had killed my mother, and why he had done it…

"And then I discovered that the F.B.I. was coming after me for my latest crimes," Gabe Ugliano yelled, now on a spree of slicing me, "especially _you_! And when I discovered who you are… I was madder than ever!"

"Stop!" Annabeth yelled as Gabe Ugliano once again took his anger out on me. My vision was starting to blur. "It's not his fault! You don't have to hurt him!"

"Shut up, girl!" Our captor shouted in reply at her. "Soon, I'll take you down next, and I'm pretty sure you're boyfriend won't be too happy about that, am I right?" He turned to me.

"I'll already be dead," I croaked.

"Oh, I'm not going to _kill_ you," Gabe Ugliano sneered. "I'm going to make you suffer a fate worse than death."

Once again I was reminded of those Greek myths, that a face worse than death could only be one thing - Tartarus, the place where the most damned in life would go. I wished I could send this evil git to Tartarus…

"Just know," I told him, "that this is all for my _mother_ … that I'm letting you torture me for her…"

"Don't speak of her!" Gabe Ugliano thundered, getting really angry now, and getting worse with the knife. But I was getting angry, too.

"Why not?" I yelled, with all the strength that I had left, "If anything, _you_ don't deserve to speak of her!"

" _That's it!"_ Gabe Ugliano screamed. "You, Percy Jackson, will never see the light of day again!" And that's when he did something I hadn't been expecting. He pulled out a gun.

And at that moment, something else that I hadn't been expecting happened. The door opened and people in dark clothes came in, lead by someone utterly familiar…

"Stand down, Ugliano!" he yelled, but it was already too late - the bullet had come soaring straight at me.

And at that moment, I blacked out.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Something bright was shining down on me. The sun, maybe? Was I outside?

I cracked open my eyelids ever so slightly and looked up. I definitely wasn't outside, and that wasn't the sun above me; it was a light, suspended from the ceiling.

When I moved my arms, I found that I was no longer tied up, and was laying on a hospital bed in a small room. It was quite comfortable, actually, until a throbbing pain came from my side.

That's when I remembered what happened before I blacked out, and realized that if Gabe Ugliano was still holding me captive, he was being pretty nice now. Except, of course, he had shot me…

Then I remembered the one person who was more important than my own safety: Annabeth. Where was she? Gabe Ugliano must have hurt her, too…

I shifted, my body in a panic, and pain flared up through me, making me gasp.

"There, there," said a sudden voice. It was soft and kind. "It's alright, Percy, don't move…"

That voice. I knew it from somewhere. I looked up, into familiar eyes - the eyes of my boss, General Corral.

"General…" I whispered, in a groggy voice. "W-What happened? Where's Annabeth -"

"You don't need to worry about her, she's alright," General Corral assured. "You just need to rest…"

I glanced down at the wound in my side. Though the bleeding had stopped, it was still extremely bloody, and General Corral had seemed to be cleaning it while I was asleep.

There was an empty chair next to my bed, and he took a seat in it. I watched him carefully. "As for what happened," he said, "My agents and I found you and Annabeth. She wasn't injured, but you were… well, you know… we brought you back here as quick as possible and lay you down."

"And what about Gabe Ugliano?"

"Don't you worry, he's safely locked away, thank goodness."

I turned away, avoiding General Corral's eyes and biting my lip. I _knew_ what he was going to say… I had failed, gotten captured by the criminal himself, then shot so that I was completely helpless. The F.B.I. had done all the work, and I had done nothing.

I admitted this to the general before he even mentioned it. "I'm sorry," I told him. "I failed your mission… you know what happened…"

" _Failed?"_ General Corral repeated incredulously. "If it weren't for you, Percy, and your friend Annabeth, we would never have found Gabe Ugliano's hideout! And you uncovered other secrets about him that we now know so he can pay for his crimes. You did _everything_!"

"But I got captured!" I protested. "And shot in the side."

"That was brave, what you handled," General Corral assured. "Annabeth told me everything. You spoke your mind to Gabe Ugliano, even when he had a knife in his hand… and when he shot you, you lived…"

I glanced down at myself. How _did_ that happen?

"You're strong, Percy. And now that you know the truth about who killed your mother, you're stronger." General Corral's voice broke a bit when he talked about my mother. I found that strange.

"Yeah, um, sorry for not telling you earlier," I mumbled. "You know, that she was murdered."

"It's alright, Percy," General Corral promised. "You probably weren't even sure."

But now that I was, my heart sank. My mother's death was renewed in my mind once again. I suppose everyone feels guilty after death, but I still felt like I could have saved her, could have stopped Gabe Ugliano before he did anything to her…

Then I remembered that when it happened, I was only twelve. I didn't even know about the man who was hitting on my mother. But now, I was sixteen, and I had faced him… told him everything that I wanted to tell him (well, there was still a few other nasty comments I'd like to say) and didn't get myself killed. Though, almost.

"Didn't you feel like you accomplished something, Percy?" General Corral asked, almost reading my mind.

"Yeah… I guess," I replied. My side suddenly hurt a little less.

"So, do you need anything?" the F.B.I. general asked, getting up from his chair and striding around me.

"No, you can get back to your duties, if you need to…"

General Corral's face held a distant sadness. "I'm not leaving your side, Percy."

 _Well, alright, then,_ I thought awkwardly. I hadn't been expecting that.

And so, General Corral sat back down to resume cleaning my cuts, and I let my mind wander. I wished I could see Annabeth, but I supposed she was recovering from our kidnapping. Also, I wanted to somehow get a message to Leo to tell him that Gabe Ugliano _had_ really killed his mother. Oh, that disgusting vermin…

As I watched General Corral, my mind kept going back to one thing - why he was being so protective of me, why he wasn't going back to his usual F.B.I. general duties and letting a real doctor take care of me. He must have been busy, what with convicting Gabe Ugliano of two murders...

There was something in his face, something he was obviously trying to hide… but I decided it better not to ask about it.

Once I was no longer covered in blood, General Corral let me sit up and offered me water. He watched me as I drank, then took the cup from me, swallowing hard. I couldn't take the suspense any more. "What is it, General?"

"Hmm?" General Corral asked, looking at me with his eyebrows raised. "What is what?"

"Why do you keep doing that?" I hope that didn't sound rude, but he was just acting so strange. "Darting your eyes around… swallowing…"

General Corral frowned. "What you notice, Percy, seems like perfect human nature."

 _Yeah, maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself,_ I thought… Then he did it again. "That," I told him. "You're hiding something."

"What could I possibly…" At that moment, General Corral sighed, seeming to give up. He walked over to me and sat down.

"Percy," he whispered. "I… I have something I need to tell you."

Nerves tickled my stomach. "What is it? Did… Did Annabeth not make it out or something? Is she… Is she -"

"No, no, nothing like that," General Corral interrupted. "She's fine, I promise. And before you ask," he added when I opened my mouth, "we captured Gabe Ugliano."

Then what could possibly be left that he wasn't telling me? I sat still and listened, curious as to what he was about to say.

"Percy… I'm your father."

I hadn't been expecting that.

"W-What?" I asked. "My father's dead… at least, that's what -"

"Your mother told you," General Corral finished. He placed a hand on mine and squeezed it. I looked down uncomfortably, then back up at him. "I _am_ your father, Percy, it's just that -"

"Then where were you?" I snapped, kind of believing him. I mean, why would General Corral lie about something like that? "Where were you all these years?"

"I couldn't be with you and your mother," the F.B.I. general replied. "My work here… it was just too demanding and too dangerous. I wanted Sally and you to have a good, safe life."

"Then why did you recruit me in the F.B.I., after my mother died?"

"You were older, Percy." General Corral gave me a weak smile. "I'm truly sorry…"

But I was too confused, too lost in thought, to hear him. "But why didn't you tell me this before?" I wanted to know.

"I… I just never could," General Corral admitted. "It was even hard for me now. But I wanted to tell you today, because when I saw you injured, I just knew that I really cared for you and that you had to know the truth."

He squeezed my hand again, but I pulled away, still angry at him. I mean… his reasons made sense, but still… wasn't family more important than work? "Percy," he tried. "Percy, listen to me…"

"No," I snapped, turning away. "Just… Just leave me alone."

He looked at me sadly, then, sighing, walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

 **Ooh, big reveal, right? I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please review! - Key**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

For hours I sat there, waiting, for nothing in particularly. But I didn't want to see anyone. My mind kept repeating the words, " _I'm your father"_ over and over again, like it was some sort of _Star Wars_ spoiler.

I believed General Corral (well, I supposed I should call him _Father_ from now on) because it all made very much sense; he was always particularly nice to me, and, not to mention, he had taken me in.

But I never felt like his son. Well, at least, not that I could remember. That thought just felt so _strange_ …

Mostly, however, I was angry at my father. Why didn't he prevent my mother from dying, if he really cared about her so much? Was he too busy at work? I suppose it could have been impossible, considering he probably hadn't known anything about Gabe Ugliano then, but still… I just couldn't shake the feeling that he could have helped… could have turned my life back to normal.

Right then, I felt like running out of the F.B.I. building. Then I realized I was still lying in the hospital bed, hooked up to an IV bag… I had to admit, at that moment, I felt fine, physically. I just wanted to get away from there.

Slowly, I swung my legs over the side of my bed and got up, ripping the needle out of my hand. When I started to walk, searing pain immediately shot up through my body… yeah, I definitely needed some rest, but I was just going to ignore it.

I pushed the door open and walked out of the room, my head low, though no one was in the hall at the moment. I was evidently in the hospital wing, though it seemed to be a private section that I had never been to… _Wow, Dad gave me royal treatment_ , I thought grumpily.

I reached a door at the end of the hallway, hearing voices on the other side. It must have led into the regular hospital wing. If I stepped out, everyone would notice me, and no doubt send me back to my room. An invisibility hat would have been perfect right then…

At that moment, the door opened, though I barely had time to acknowledge who had come through before they bumped into me and we nearly went sprawling to the floor. "Sorry!" said a familiar voice, and I looked up into Annabeth's eyes. They immediately clouded over with confusion. "Percy?"

"Annabeth…" I began, but she immediately cut me off.

"What are you doing? You need to get to bed, you can't even walk..."

"Yes, I can," I replied indignantly, trying to stop my swaying from side to side. "Annabeth, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked.

I took a deep breath, then blurted, "General Corral's my father."

Her jaw dropped. " _W… What?"_

"I know! He never told me until now!"

"Why not? Tell me everything, Percy." Annabeth seemed to forget all about telling me to go back to bed, and we both took a seat as she listened.

And so, I spilled the beans, saying everything that General Corral had said. It felt good talking to Annabeth about it, she had some sense, unlike my father. I decided to tell her about how I felt about all of this, too.

"So, what do you think?" I asked her when I was finished.

"Well, I understand that General Corral was busy with the F.B.I…" Annabeth began. _Oh, really, you're on_ his _side?_ I thought angrily, but then she continued. "But I still agree with you - family _is_ more important than jobs…"

I sighed. "I really want to get away from here, Annabeth, from all of this…"

Annabeth was silent for a moment, then she said, "No. You can't just run away from the truth, you have to face it. Even if you did run away, you would be breaking your father's heart -"

"He broke mine for sixteen years."

" - And he would no doubt go looking for you. Just… hear your father out, Percy. I'm sure that he didn't have any bad intentions, and that he's truly sorry."

Though I was still angry, something inside me said to trust Annabeth. She _was_ pretty wise for a girl my age. But I just really didn't want to see General Corral… at that moment, however, I didn't have a choice.

" _What are you doing out of bed?"_ asked the voice of my father, and I looked up into his angry eyes. This was the first time, since I had started to work for the F.B.I., that this man had ever gotten mad at me.

"I feel fine now," I lied.

"No, you don't, that's impossible," General Corral replied.

"What do you care?" I spat, getting to my feet and trying to ignore the dizziness that caused it. "You left me alone for all my life anyway!"

Sadness flashed behind my father's eyes. "Percy, we can talk about this…"

Taking Annabeth's advice, I stopped myself from yelling, "No!" and sighed, taking a seat. "Fine. What do you have to say?"

General Corral bent down so that he was level with my face. "Percy, I'll admit, I've made some bad choices in my life… and maybe my reasons for them aren't good enough. But you have to understand that I am truly sorry. I promise you that the only thing I want, the only thing I've want _ed_ , is for you to be safe. So please, give me a second chance. I love you, Percy, I mean it."

I looked up at him, tears welling up in my eyes. Then he pulled me into his arms and gave me a tight hug. I hadn't hugged someone in so long, it truly felt good… and for some reason, my father smelled like a calming sea breeze.

He pulled away, still smiling. "Do you accept my apology?"

I… I did. What my father said was true, he _had_ made some mistakes, mistakes that he regretted… but I wasn't going to get anywhere in life if I just hated. I wanted to give him a chance because maybe we could start a new life… one as a family.

There was a sniffle to my right. I turned and saw Annabeth, smiling at the both of us while a tear ran down her cheek. "Aww, come here," my father added, and she joined in for another hug.

It was a savouring moment, until an F.B.I. agent, Katie Gardner, I believed, walked up to my father. "I'm sorry to interrupt, General," she said as we pulled away, "But there is someone here who wants to visit Gabe Ugliano."

"Really?" my father repeated. "Well, then, I suppose we should go, too."

Annabeth and I looked at each other, exchanging a look like, _Who could it be?_ But I was glad we were visiting Gabe Ugliano; there was still a few things I'd like to say to him.

 **I hope that was a cute chapter, because it felt cute writing it. - Key**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

I should have known that the person who wanted to visit Gabe Ugliano was a very angry Leo.

We found him there, half-fuming, half-crying (which was how I felt when I had met the criminal) and waiting outside the room that Gabe Ugliano's cell was in. People inside were talking in hushed tones, but when they spotted the F.B.I. general, they seemed a lot more relieved and went about the rest of their business.

"Well, not that they're gone," Leo asked my father, "May I go see Mr. Murderer?"

My father couldn't resist a smile. "Yes, Mr. Valdez."

Annabeth and I followed Leo into the small and dimly-lit room. At the back of the cell, sitting in the darkest patch of light possible, was Gabe Ugliano looking very grumpy. "What do you want?" he growled.

"Do you remember me, you old git?" Leo shouted. "I'm Leo Valdez, and you killed my mother!"

Leo must have heard the truth somewhere; I never got the chance to tell him, but now he continued to yell insults at Gabe Ugliano, switching into Spanish midway so that we couldn't understand the rest. I guessed that was a good thing, since most of the words Leo was saying probably weren't very appropriate…

When he was finished, panting, he turned to Annabeth and I and said, "Sorry, I start speaking Spanish when I'm agitated."

"That's okay," I replied, holding up my hands. "I'm just as angry at that man as you are."

"He killed your mom, too, right?" Leo asked, shaking his head with disgust at Gabe Ugliano. "Well, I hope you're mad," he yelled at him, "because you didn't get to do the other things you wanted to do, like rob Annabeth's dad!"

"I didn't just want to rob him," Gabe Ugliano sneered, slowly inching out of the shadows and showing all the cuts and bruises he had gotten from tackling the F.B.I. agents before they captured him. "I wanted to kill him!"

Annabeth's hand flew to her mouth.

"Why am I not surprised?" I said aloud.

"I blame you two for this the most!" Gabe Ugliano yelled, turning to Annabeth and I. "If you hadn't found my hideout -"

"You guys are awesome," Leo told us brightly. "The Dynamic Duo, like Batman and Robin…"

I looked at Annabeth and she laughed, her eyes twinkling as she did. It made my heart do a somersault.

"Oh, enough with the love!" Gabe Ugliano muttered.

"You just don't like love because you don't know what it is," Leo snapped.

"Actually, he did," I mumbled. "He fell for my mother."

"EW, _HIM?_ Please don't tell me she -"

"No, she didn't," I replied thankfully. "And that's why he killed her."

All three of us glared at Gabe Ugliano again.

"I can't believe I'm getting told off by three kids," he grumbled.

"Not just three kids," said a voice from the doorway, and I turned to see Annabeth's father, Frederick Chase. He was staring right at her, and she smiled before running up into his arms.

"Dad!" she exclaimed. "I… I'm sorry I didn't tell you -"

"It's alright, dear," he comforted. "You probably thought I'd hold you back?"

"Yeah, um, well…"

"And you would have been correct," Frederick Chase replied. "I've just finished talking to the general, and he told me about the things you did. But now that I see how well you've handled yourself… You're quite astonishing, Annabeth."

She grinned up at him. "Thank you, Dad."

"And you're Percy Jackson, isn't that right?" Frederick Chase asked, turning to me. "You protected my daughter very well."

"Yeah, well, I…" I stopped myself saying what I was going to say, because it might have been weird in front of Annabeth's father. But at that moment, I knew how important our adventure had been… what really happened… making a mental note to tell Annabeth later. "Thank you."

Then Frederick Chase turned to Gabe Ugliano. "Well, this is the lousy upstart who tried to rob me, isn't it?"

Gabe Ugliano sighed. "Go ahead, say what you want."

"I'm going to refrain from saying some of the things that I'd like to say…" Annabeth's dad said, clearing his throat.

"Oh, I said everything," Leo replied, grinning.

"He wanted to kill you, Dad," Annabeth told him. "Just like he killed Leo and Percy's mothers."

"Oh, is that so?" Frederick Chase murmured, his voice becoming colder as he glared at Gabe Ugliano. "Well, then…"

"Come on," Leo said, starting for the door, "I'm starting to feel sick from spending so much time in the same room with him."

I had to agree. The three of us followed Leo out of the room and back into the hall, where my father was waiting.

Once again, Frederick Chase went into conversation with him, and Leo turned to Annabeth and I. "Well, I should head back to the shop," he said, sounding deflated, as if all the anger that had previously been in him was replaced by sadness.

"Hey, Leo," I said, placing my hand on his shoulder, "I know exactly how you feel about all of this. And don't worry - Annabeth and I will visit you again sometime."

That made Leo smile a little, and he said bye again before leaving the building.

Just then, Annabeth's father turned toward her. "Well, Annabeth, we should be getting home soon."

Annabeth looked at me sadly. _Oh, no!_ I thought. _I'll never get to tell her about what I was thinking about before!_

"Wait a minute," my father interrupted. "Annabeth, I was going to ask you earlier, but we got interrupted. I am so grateful for how much you helped my son on his mission, and you demonstrated the true aspects of an F.B.I. agent. If it's alright with your father, how would you like to work here?"

Annabeth's eyes widened. "I… I… Dad?"

Frederick Chase smiled. "You earned it, my dear."

Her face lit up, and she turned to my father. "Then _yes_!"

"Great," my father answered, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Well, then, I suppose I'll have to talk to you a little longer, about the new matters…" Frederick Chase said to him, and they enveloped back into conversation while Annabeth turned to me.

"Um, you wanna…" I began.

"Go outside?" Annabeth suggested.

That was a good idea. "Sure. I think I know the perfect spot."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

I had led Annabeth through the halls of the F.B.I. headquarters, knowing exactly where I was going. After finding a door off to the side and opening it, revealing a hidden staircase, we climbed up it until we reached another door at the top. I pushed it open and Annabeth gasped softly behind me. The door led out onto the roof, where the stars shone down on us from the navy blue sky.

"This is really nice, Percy," Annabeth said as she walked to the edge of the roof and looked down at the lights of New York City flashing by. "Do you come here often?"

"Yeah, sometimes," I replied. "Although it's kind of lonely when I do."

Annabeth gave me a small smile, then turned back to watch the scenery. "Well," she said after a while. "It's just me and you again."

"And not in immediate danger, luckily," I replied.

She chuckled. "Though, you had to admit, Percy, we had fun."

"Getting kidnapped and tortured was fun?"

"Well, not that part, but we won, didn't we?"

"You _really_ like this job."

Annabeth sighed and looked at her feet. "Like I told you at the ball… people expect me to be a real diva, but I'm not like that." Then she turned to me, a smile spreading across her face. "But, thanks to your father, I can now show them that!"

I was glad that Annabeth was so happy. We _would_ have fun together…

"Look, Annabeth," I began, deciding this was the time. "During our mission, I… I realized something."

"And what was that?" She had a certain tone to her voice, as if she knew what was coming next.

"You're the only person that I've truly cared for since my mother's death. I mean, there's my father now, but I've only just discovered that he existed. Having you along my mission made it a lot better, because you did some things that I didn't think anyone else would do for me… And when Gabe Ugliano kidnapped us, I could only think about your safety. You've come to matter a lot to me, Annabeth, because you truly showed me what it meant to be in love again."

Annabeth stared at me, but she didn't look angry. Her gray eyes sparkled the way they did when she had been laughing in the room in front of Gabe Ugliano's cell. Framed against the moonlight, which reflected off of her blonde hair, made her look absolutely beautiful.

"Oh, Percy…" she whispered. "There are so many things I want to say to you in agreement right now, but I'm going to sum it up all in one word: I love you, too."

I laughed and pulled her into my arms. "You can tell me all of those things later."

"And right now?" she asked.

"This." And I kissed her.

So that was the story of me, Percy Jackson, a secret F.B.I. agent who had been through a crazy adventure but had luckily found love with a girl named Annabeth Chase (they could write a book about us, couldn't they?). Now we were going to work for the F.B.I. together, because my girlfriend had some awesome skills that she could finally display.

Also, my father told me that I would be living with him, and that he would show me his house in about a week (he wanted to spice it up a bit before I came to stay). I was happy about that; I would finally have a family again… a real one that I loved.

So, I guess this goes to show that even the most normal life can go completely wacky, but can end well again. I know, however, that I still have many adventures yet to come… with Annabeth, of course… and I have to say that I am pretty excited.

 **THE END**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed reading that, because I sure enjoyed writing it. Percy and Annabeth really are the best! (And Leo, of course) XD.**

 **I want to thank all my followers and reviewers for their support… it really made writing this fanfic better. I hope you continue to read my stuff!**

 **Whether there will be a second "Undercover Love" I'm not sure at the moment, but my next fanfic is hopefully going to be a Harry Potter and Once Upon a Time crossover, so tune in for that.**

 **Once again, thank you, and always, happy reading!**

 **\- Key of Magic**


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